A member of the Florida House of Representatives who represents a portion of Osceola County has been indicted by a grand jury on forgery charges.
Among the charges against Rep. Carolina Amesty (R-Windermere) are forgery, uttering a forgery, false acknowledgement or certification by notary public and notarizing your own signature. According to the State Attorney’s Office, each charge is a third-degree felony. Under Florida law, using a notary commission to “falsely or fraudulently” certify a signature is punishable by up to five years in prison.
After the charges were levied on Wednesday, Amesty turned herself into the Orange County Jail Thursday and was later released on $20,000 bond.
Amesty, 29, represents District 45, which in addition to parts of western Orange County includes areas of Osceola County like Celebration, Reunion and Champions Gate. She won a five-way Republican primary and the general election to get elected in 2022, and is currently slated to face former Disney executive Dem. Leonard Spencer in this year’s general election on Nov. 5.
According to State Attorney Andrew Bain’s office, the charges stem from evidence showing she knowingly notarized a document with a forged signature in 2021 while serving as an administrator at Central Christian Academy, a nonprofit school run by her family. Documents shared by the News Service of Florida showed Amesty notarized a form in September 2021 claiming a veteran educator was an employee of her family’s university. The form was part of documents Central Christian submitted to the Florida Department of Education for state licensing. The educator, Robert Shaffer, said he worked for a connected K-12 school but not for Central Christian. Amesty responded by submitting an affidavit attesting that Shaffer signed the form she notarized.
“A concerned citizen brought potential criminal wrongdoing to our attention, and in line with our obligation to investigate fairly and without bias, we requested a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation and thoroughly reviewed the facts and evidence of the case,” Bain said in a statement. “That information was presented to the grand jury who found sufficient evidence to return an indictment. I am committed to upholding fairness and justice in every case by applying the law equally to everyone and my record reflects this dedication.”
Amesty also reportedly submitted false information about her own credentials as part of the school’s licensing efforts.
Amesty’s campaign posted a response to X/Twitter Thursday afternoon.
“This prosecution, initiated just a few weeks prior to absentee ballots being dropped, is based on misleading reports about a notarization of an employee verification background report, the truth of the contents which have not been questioned in any manner,” the note said. “Rep. Amesty calls for a speedy trial, looks forward to her day in court, and is confident of her public vindication.
The Florida Democratic Party called on Amesty to resign or for the House to expel her.
“The charges Carolina Amesty is facing are serious, and they call every decision she’s ever made on behalf of her constituents into question,” Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried said in a statement. “If she was willing to forge official documents for personal gain, there’s no telling what else she’s gotten away with during her time in office.”
Information from the News Service of Florida was used to contribute to this story.
